Book Review: The Gliding Flight

I saw a video of one of John Collin's world-record-winning planes and the article talked about how he had a few books that showed how to make some really cool planes. So I put this on the library request list and when it arrived, I pulled out some copy paper and got to work. The book starts with information about aerodynamics and then moves in to the best kinds of paper for making paper airplanes. I skipped over all that - let's fold some planes.

I probably shouldn't have skipped all that. Some of these planes were really complicated. As you can see, I didn't end up folding that many. I did make a lot of Crumple Ball Specials. For some complicated folds that are used regularly, there are flipbook-style animations built into the borders of the book. Even still, I had trouble figuring out some of the folds. I probably could have gone online to figure them out, but that just felt like too much work.

Not pictured - additional crumpled balls

In the end, I folded quite a few over December and when I'd throw a bunch of them at family gatherings at our house, the children were impressed at how far the planes flew and would run to fetch them so that I could throw them over and over again.

Someone with sufficient time and patience will create some really neat looking planes that fly amazingly well using the guides in this book.


The Gliding Flight by John Collins (Amazon.com)

Feed Sift (03/13/2015)

-1-

ENDGADGET -- Shocker: Pandora's study finds Pandora to be good for music sales

-2-

SETH GODIN -- The problem with problems

-3-

SALESFORCE -- Some Customers Aren’t Worth the Headache

-4-

HOUZZ -- Understand Your Site Plan for a Better Landscape Design

-5-

TWISTED SIFTER -- Scientists Recover Audio by Analyzing Tiny Vibrations in a Bag of Chips

Happy Friday!

Feed Sift (03/06/2015)

-1-

ENGADGET -- Flying fake cell towers target fugitives, but can ID your phone too

-2-

WEB URBANIST -- Hoverboards are Here! Design Floats Above Metal Surfaces

-3-

NORMAN NIELSEN GROUP -- Progress Indicators Make a Slow System Less Insufferable

-4-

MORNING DEVOTION -- Sweeten the air


-5-

TESLA ON VIMEO -- Fast Pack Swap Event

Happy Friday!

Question of the Day: #word

What's your favorite word (right now)?

In 2014, I answered: Serenity

What's your current #hashtag?

Question of the Day: Swalty

Salty or Sweet?

In 2014, I answered: Both. Dark chocolate with sea salt. Embrace the and, baby.

And you?

Review: Halting State

Halting State
by Charles Stross
I really enjoyed The Apocalypse Codex but had started with book 4. So I saw this author had another series on my library's website and I downloaded book 1 of this series. Unfortunately, after one drive I decided enough was enough. The narrator used a very thick and deep Scottish accent for narration (with his characters all having less of an accent) and it's in, I think, the second person, and the lead character is a woman, but you don't find that out for awhile because the character's name is Mac and it takes place in Glasgow. The individual pieces I list here aren't a problem on their own (I've rather enjoyed the last series I read with a female Deputy Inspector with the Glasgow "polis") but it was just too hard to follow-along and I sadly gave it up. The book did feature the same great turns of phrase (and I don't mean "the same") as the other Charles Stross books I've read, so perhaps this is more a review of the audiobook than of the book itself. Someone who lives in Scotland would probably appreciate the accent and find the book really easy to listen to.

Question of the Day: Redo

How could today have been better?

In 2014 (on 3/2), I answered: Lori could have been well. She was sick and missed church and the combined me/Jeff/Jim birthday.

How about you? What would you have waved a wand and improved about today?